1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to automobile accessory floor mats and more particularly to apparatus for anchoring removable floor mats to automotive carpeting.
It should be noted that the preferred embodiment of this invention is not applicable to all types of vehicles. It is useful in those vehicles in which the original automobile carpeting has an exposed edge to which the invention attaches. Furthermore, the invention presupposes that OEM carpeting is securely held in place, since the mat fastening system of the present invention attaches to this carpeting. Furthermore, the invention is applicable to any overlying mat which should be removably attached to a carpet having an exposed edge.
It should also be noted that there are other embodiments disclosed herein which alternately attach to the seat track or to other fixed structures within the vehicle.
2. Background Art
In recent years, virtually every manufacturer of passenger automobiles has provided carpeting as standard floor covering in their automobiles. This original equipment carpeting supplied by the automobile manufacturer is very vulnerable to wear, as there is considerable foot movement concentrated in a relatively small area. It is difficult and expensive to replace worn out automobile carpeting.
It has become common for automobile manufacturers, automobile dealers and automobile accessory suppliers to provide removable floor mats, to be placed on top of the automobile carpeting to protect the automobile carpeting from wear.
One risk of having a floor mat on top of the automobile carpeting is that the action of the driver's feet tends to force the floor mat forward and into the brake and accelerator pedal area. Floor mats can then bunch up or otherwise interfere with the proper operation of the pedals.
Floor mat slippage has been suspected as the cause of some automobile accidents. Slipping mats are also suspected of becoming entangled with the accelerator pedal to cause unexpected changes in the vehicle's speed, sometimes known as unintended acceleration.
To avoid the problem of slipping or moving automobile floor mats, several solutions have previously been attempted. These solutions are generally divided into two categories: passive and active.
"Passive" solutions are those which are built into the mat structure and do not require any action by the mat installer to secure the mats in place, other than positioning the mats in the vehicle. These solutions by mat manufacturers include a vinyl backing with raised cleats, a vinyl backing with corduroy-type ribs running width-way across the mat and open cell foam or sponge rubber backings. These passive solutions have been somewhat effective in reducing mat slippage for some drivers, but none has been effective in eliminating mat slippage for all drivers.
"Active" solutions to the problem of mat slippage require some positive action to be taken by the mat retailer or the vehicle operator to fasten the mats in place. It is relatively simple for a mat manufacturer to attach one end of a fastening system to the mat. The problem is to find a place in the car to which the other end of the fastening system can be attached. The seat cannot be used, since all seats are adjustable back and forth to accommodate drivers of different heights. A mat fastening system attached to the seats would pull the mats out of position every time the seats were moved up or back.
Automobile manufacturers are now beginning to address the problem of providing a place on the vehicle to anchor one end of a mat fastening system. Audi AG, in the 1985 model year began installing two metal posts in front of each seat. These posts are approximately 1/2" in diameter and rise above the automobile carpeting by approximately 3/4". Floor mats provided by Audi and other after-market mat manufacturers could then be attached to the Audi supplied posts. The most common method of attaching the mats to the posts is to have two cutouts in the mat to correspond to the position and size of the posts. The cutouts are then positioned over the posts with some provision included for keeping the mats from lifting off the posts.
BMW, in the 1988 model year, began providing a mat anchoring system on selected BMW cars. Their system is similar to a lock and key arrangement. There are two "locks" in front of each seat. The locks are in actuality a 1/2" oblong opening extending approximately 1/2" into the floor of the car. At the end of the oblong opening, the 1/2" oblong becomes a circle of 1/2" diameter. The oblong shaped bottom of the "key" goes through the floor mat and into the oblong hole in the floor of the car. When the "key" is fully inserted, it is turned 90 degrees to "lock", thereby securing the floor mat to the floor of the car. BMW has announced that their floor mat anchoring system will be standard equipment on all their 1991 cars.
The fact that Audi and BMW have provided fairly elaborate anchoring systems for floor mats is an indication that some automobile manufacturers are beginning to address the serious safety problem of slipping floor mats. However, current model Audi and BMW's account for only a tiny fraction of the automobiles in use.
Some mat manufacturers have active mat fastening systems designed for use in cars that do not provide a built-in anchor. Racemark International, Inc. uses a system, covered by U.S. Pat. No. 4,425,690, for the following vehicles: Mercedes Benz, Porsche, Jaguar, Sterling, Range Rover and Volvo. Their system consists of a clip attached to a bent pin similar to a drapery hook.
This system has several problems which keep it from being completely effective. (1) There is a reluctance on the part of the buyers of these new luxury automobiles to puncture their new carpeting with a thick pin. (2) It has become the custom of many automobile manufacturers to run electronic wiring under the carpeting and there have been instances where pin-type attaching devices have shorted out this wiring. (3) When pin-type attaching devices have been used in older cars, there have been occasions where the pin tore the original car carpeting when a force was applied to the floor mats. This is undoubtedly because the strength of the original carpeting had deteriorated with age. (4) The clip, which is attached to the edge of the mat, at the point where the mat binding is sewn, has caused the mat binding to tear away from the mat when force is applied to the mat itself. (5) The hook and clip attachment requires approximately 11/2" clearance from the end of the mat to point where the pin is inserted into the car's carpeting. In some cars, such as Mercedes Benz, the mats sit in a well. The natural position of the mat is at the back of the well. Use of the Racemark clip and pin arrangement requires that the mat sit in an unnatural position, approximately 11/2" forward from the back of the well. The fact that it is difficult to position the mat may limit its use by many Mercedes Benz owners.